Programmable electrical fuses may be used as non-volatile data storage elements in a semiconductor device, such as a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) semiconductor device. A programmable electrical fuse may include an anode, a cathode, and a conductor link connecting the anode and the cathode. Programmable electrical fuses are one-time programmable devices in which the electrical resistance of the fuse may be increased by blowing the fuse, e.g., destroying the conductor link or significantly increasing the electrical resistance of the conductor link. A low electrical resistance state of the programmable electrical fuse may correspond to a first value (e.g., a 0 or a 1) and a high electrical resistance state of the programmable electrical fuse may correspond to a second value (e.g., a 1 or a 0).
Some programmable electrical fuses can be programmed by directing high current density through a conductor link, which blows the conductor link, increasing the electrical resistance of the fuse. Other programmable electrical fuses may include conductor link that includes a polysilicon layer and a silicide layer. These types of programmable electrical fuses may be programmed using electromigration. During the electromigration process, electron wind pushes silicide atoms out of the conductor link. The removal of the silicide from the conductor link substantially increases the electrical resistance of the conductor link.